Speaking at a joint press conference with his Estonian counterpart Marina Kaljurand here in the capital Tehran on Sunday, Mohammad Javad Zarif said this was the first time Iran hosted a political official from Estonia.
Stating that relations between Iran and Slovenia dates back to a century ago, Zarif said a friendship treaty was signed between the two countries in 1931, adding Iran was the first country which acknowledged the independence of Estonia.
Pointing to the negotiations with Mrs. Kaljurand, Zarif noted the two countries discussed cooperation in different political, economic, parliamentary, cultural and academic fields.
With regard to the amount of import and export between Iran and Estonia, Zarif called for an increase in the volume of trade between the two countries, during the post-sanctions era, with all barriers removed and grounds paved for bilateral ties.
Commenting on a question about US Secretary of State John Kerry’s recent remarks over negotiations on Iranian missile program, Zarif slammed his words as baseless; “Kerry's comments are totally baseless to the extent that US Department of State has denied it, claiming no such statements have been made.”
“It is crystal clear that the Islamic Republic of Iran’s missile and defense capabilities are not negotiable, and if the US is serious about defense issues, it should decrease the amount of weapons sold to the regional countries,” he underlined.
Iranian foreign minister added the weapons are used every day to slaughter Yemen’s defenseless people. “The US must stop selling of weapons that are being used based on a formal declaration of Zionist regime to attack civilians,” he added.
"Iran has officially announced that the invasion of Iraq and the occupation of the country will lead to the spread of extremism and terrorism in the region," Zarif said. “Unfortunately, today the Iraqi people and all those in Syria, the region and the whole world are experiencing the consequences of aggressive and dangerous policies the United States followed during the presidency of George W. Bush.”
Iranian minister concluded that the regional issues are solved through cooperation and negotiations on behalf of all parties involved to eradicate new crises.
Estonian Foreign Minsiter Kaljurand, for her part, expressed Estonia’s willingness to expand ties with Iran, adding that “as a member of European Union, Estonia holds good relations with Iran and I appreciate Minister Zarif's declaration of readiness for further cooperation."
She announced EU Chief Federica Mogherini will pay a visit to Iran next week to further strengthen and improve EU-Iran relations.
“I am happy for visiting Iran; together with an economic delegation in Iran, we will have a meeting with Iranian high-ranking officials, including President Rouhani and also the members of Chamber of Commerce," Kaljurand said, adding Estonia is a leading country in Information Technology and there are many areas for cooperation between the two countries.
She underlined Iran enjoys a profitable environment for trade and economic transactions, adding the country is one of the main priorities of Estonia in the field of business ties.
Accompanied by a business and political delegation, Estonian Foreign Minister Marina Kaljurand arrived in Iran on Sunday to discuss issues of mutual interests as well as expansion of economic and trade interactions during her meetings with senior Iranian officials.
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